The Thunderstorm
by cresselia8themoon
Summary: Set in the All Time Travelers Go to Heaven AU. The Jinx is injected with a fear serum that makes him hallucinate being in a thunderstorm. Set during Ch 7.


_Set in the All Time Travelers Go to Heaven AU. What exactly did the Jinx see under the effects of fear serum? Takes place during Ch 7._

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The Jinx was led to a white, expansive room by three scientists. The head scientist gestured for him to take a seat on the floor, and he obeyed, glancing up at the ceiling. It arched high above his head, featureless and the same shade of nothingness as the rest of the room. Surrounding the area was a glass screen that extended along the wall, at which countless scientists clutched a clipboard and pen, murmuring to themselves.

The Jinx clutched his backpack, thankful that the scientists had allowed him to keep it for this experiment. Sometimes they allowed him to keep it on his person, sometimes they didn't. The experiments where they tossed it aside were always the worst ones, since he could usually handle himself with the tools and scraps he'd saved from his cell.

He wished he could keep a memento of the time periods the scientists took him to for field observations. The first and only time he'd tried to take something to the future, one of the researchers caught him red-handed and upped the intensity of the physical tests as a punishment. In short, the treadmill broke and one of the handlebars struck a scientist in the head, putting him in the infirmary for a possible concussion.

The head scientist pulled a syringe and needle from his pocket, filling it up with a sickly yellow fluid. The Jinx looked away, knowing that watching would make it worse. Another scientist held his left arm out, dabbing at his bruised skin with an alcohol swab. He felt gloved, unfeeling fingers pull his skin taut, immediately followed by a sharp prick. It took all of his strength not to cry out when the needle moved slightly underneath his skin, the liquid slowly being pushed into his bloodstream.

Finally, the needle was removed and a small piece of cloth on a circular bandage was added. One of the scientists released a white rat, then they climbed up the trapdoor and into the room above.

"Hey there, little guy," the Jinx said softly. "You're really adorable. Are you hungry?" He dug around his backpack, finding a single cheese cube in a plastic bag. It was rare for him to receive such delicious snacks, but he didn't mind sharing in the slightest. Besides, he was excellent at rationing his treats so he didn't eat them all in one sitting.

The rat nibbled on the cube while he stroked its fur. Then he felt a drop on his nose. When he looked up, several more drops splashed on his eyes, and he wiped them away.

Looking around, he was waist-high in a sea of grass. To his left was a large tree. There were no buildings or people in sight. That was odd. He had been in the white room seconds earlier. Did they time travel again?

It was starting to sprinkle now. The Jinx opened an umbrella just as the wind picked up, almost snatching the umbrella from his hands. He gripped the handle tightly.

A blue streak danced across his vision, illuminating the dark gray sky briefly before dying away. A clap boomed across the sky, and he yelped.

The rain grew heavier, and the umbrella wasn't doing him any favors. The wind howled and blew the rain into him, soaking his clothes as the coldness seeped into his skin.

Another lightning bolt struck the tree, splitting its trunk down the middle. The Jinx backed away before it fell on him. The thunderclaps surrounded him on all sides, boxing him underneath a torrent of water.

Then his umbrella broke in half.

He grabbed the cover out of desperation, hoping that it would miraculously stay on the handle. When that failed, he pulled the backpack over his head as a shield.

That's when he noticed two strange men walking towards him. At first he thought they were scientists, but they didn't have lab coats. Instead, they were dressed oddly formal and walked as though the rain didn't affect them, even though they were just as soaked as him.

"My name is Vinnie Dakota, and over there is my partner Balthazar Cavendish," the shorter of the duo said, kneeling down in front of him and offering his hand as a greeting. "What's your name, kid?"

"The Jinx," he replied, shaking his hand. He flinched at another clap of thunder. "This is some thunderstorm. I'm sorry that my umbrella broke. Cause I don't want you guys getting drenched." He looked over to Balthazar, who stood several feet away.

While Balthazar's posture was somewhat stiff, his eyes weren't nearly as hard as the scientists were during experiments. He tipped his hat toward him. "But there isn't a thunderstorm," Balthazar said. "They gave you a serum that's making you hallucinate one."

There was something unreadable in his expression. Sympathy? Pity? He didn't know. But the rain was definitely rain. It felt like rain. It looked like rain.

"No, they aren't!" The Jinx cried. "I'm soaked. You're soaked. We can't take shelter. It's just a huge field and tree. There's nowhere to take shelter."

But they injected him with something, didn't they? He rubbed his arm, now sore. No, he had been holding up the umbrella for a while. Or he could've just knocked it against something.

The rain was definitely real.

"I know a place we can take shelter," Vinnie said. "But you're gonna have to trust us, kid."

Trust them? A strange request, but if it meant getting out of the rain...

"Okay," the Jinx nodded, his head snapping up toward the thick blanket of clouds. "The thunder's getting louder."

"I don't think that was thunder," Balthazar pointed to a robot dressed in all black. It carried a bag over its shoulders. Where did that robot come from? Had they not dropped him off in the past after all?

"The watch and gold chain," the robot said. "Do not resist."

Before he could ask what the robot meant, Vinnie stepped in front of him, holding his arm out. "Stay behind me, kid. This robot's dangerous." He dug into his jacket, tossing a device to Balthazar. "We gotta run back to the 21st century now!"

They wanted him to come too? The scientists always gave him a wide berth, even in his cell. And he was fine with that, because he didn't want them getting hurt because when something blew up in his vicinity.

Balthazar ducked a swing from the robot and backed away, beyond the robot's reach. "Dakota, cover me! I can't fight and calibrate this thing at the same time!"

"I'm covering the kid!" Vinnie protested.

"Here, use this!" the Jinx exclaimed, pulling a hammer out of his backpack and handing it to Vinnie.

Balthazar fiddled with the device, while Vinnie bashed in the eyes of the robot, exposing several loose wires. The robot sparked, dropping the bag, which Vinnie snatched up.

"The portal's open!" Balthazar called. "Children first!" Vinnie pushed him towards Balthazar, who grabbed his hand and stood behind him to shield him from Vinnie's battle with the robot. The portal had a nice view of a large, red barn. Better yet, the rain was lighter on the other side.

"Are we heading to shelter now?" he asked, already starting to imagine the animals he could see in the barn.

Balthazar nodded. "Step up, be careful now. Okay, just stay there." He was on the other side of the portal, where the rain no longer pelted mercilessly at his face and there was no thunder. Balthazar motioned for Vinnie to step through next. "We'll take the bag too. There might be something useful in there."

Tossing the bag to the other side, Balthazar climbed over and entered something into his device, the white room disappearing in the blink of an eye. The Jinx thought that was really cool.

"Is that our shelter? Cool! Are we sleeping in the hay? Are there horses? Could we stay long enough for me to pet a horse? I've never petted a horse before," he grinned as he bounced from toe to toe in excitement.

Sure, he'd seen plenty of horses before, but he'd never been allowed to go up and pet one. Usually they were carriage horses and he didn't want to spook them.

Balthazar and Vinnie talked in hushed tones. But he was too excited at the prospect of petting a horse to listen. The rain had lightened to a drizzle now. His clothes weren't as heavy as before.

He yawned, almost falling on his face. Someone helped steady him as they walked towards the barn. The barn doors fell off the hinges, and Balthazar groaned.

Vinnie helped him lie down in a pile of hay. He didn't know hay was this soft. He yawned one more time, feeling something cover his body.

And it wasn't raining anymore.


End file.
